Food sustainability

Improving and delivering food sustainability is critical as it benefits all our communities and the planet. When delivered, it provides affordable, healthy, and nutritious food for all, whilst protecting and supporting our environmental, economic, and social structures, now and in the future. 

At Cotswold District Council, to help support this objective, we have appointed a Community Support Officer – Food Sustainability. This post (which began in December 2023) will work in close partnership with key organisations, such as Feeding Gloucestershire to help influence sustainable change. The role also includes engaging with the local voluntary and community sector, for example, to help enable and support initiatives including those that reduce food waste and improve access to good quality, nutritious and affordable food for everyone. 

Cotswold Food Network

An important part of this food sustainability work is focused on the development of a district-wide Cotswold Food Network, to which Cotswold District Council is committing £40,000 from 2024 to 2026.

Led by Cotswold District Council with work priorities directed by a ‘membership’ of groups, organisations and individuals, Cotswold Food Network’s (CFN) aim is to improve food sustainability in the district.

The CFN’s work activity could relate potentially to all aspects of food sustainability, which is extremely wide ranging. However, as it’s directed by its membership partners, two of its initial key priorities are focusing on supporting community food growing initiatives and understanding and improving financial inclusion for local communities.

Please see below a short flyer about the Cotswold Food Network:

Cotswold Food Network Leaflet A4 - pdf - 365 Kb

Resources

Free and low-cost cookery classes in the Cotswolds

There are several organisations that provide free or low-cost cookery classes in the Cotswolds. With a focus on good nutrition and affordability, these classes have a range of aims, such as improving participants confidence, knowledge, and skills in preparing food for themselves and their families. There are usually separate courses for adults and for children. This guide outlines the classes that are available.

Free Or Low Cost Cookery Classes Cotswold Food Network - pdf - 261 Kb

Worrying about Money? 

Cotswold Worrying About Money Leaflet - pdf - 583 Kb

This bespoke guide for anyone seeking money advice and support in Cotswold, is part of a national series produced with the Independent Food Aid Network. It guides you through where to get help from a wide range of local and national organisations, dependent on the type of assistance needed.  

The interactive version of Worrying about Money is available at www.worryingaboutmoney.co.uk/cotswold

Guide for food procurement for events and meetings

Food Procurement Guide Cotswold Food Network - pdf - 149 Kb

For people, groups, and organisations, arranging food and refreshments for events and meetings, this concise Cotswold Food Network guide suggests factors to consider and makes a range of recommendations when procuring food. The guidance is also aimed at helping support our local economy and reduce the impacts of climate change.   

Mini guide to allotments 

Allotments A Brief Introduction - pdf - 98 Kb

This is a mini guide about allotments from Cotswold Food Network. It takes a whistle stop tour through some background to allotments,  what they are, applying for one and sharing produce. There are also links to sources of much more detailed information.

Community food growing guidance

Aimed at community food growing organisations in the Cotswolds, in spring 2024, the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group have compiled two informative concise guidance leaflets:  

Community Growing Resources - pdf - 1.22 Mb

Community Growing Funding - pdf - 1.11 Mb

Funding

Cotswold Food Network’s Small Grants

In August 2025, Cotswold Food Network is pleased to announce the launch of its new small grants.

An outline of the grant is below:

• The grant is for distribution across Cotswold district.

• It is aimed at supporting a project or organisation that may not require a significant sum and may not be able to access mainstream funding offers.

• We are not prescriptive with the purpose of this funding only that it must be of direct benefit to the community served.

• An applicant must be a ‘not for profit organisation’.

• The grant pot is relatively small, at £20,000 and as implied above, not only aimed at food initiatives or organisations.

To make this grant available to all types of organisations we do have options should you not be a constituted organisation with your own bank account. Equally if you do not have a safeguarding policy or public liability insurance in place, we will endeavour to support you with that process.

Applications are welcome for requests over £100 to the region of £2,000 – this is not an upper limit, but the purpose of the pot is enabling funding into communities that may not be able to apply for support elsewhere and therefore we would expect that to be reflected in the sum applied for.

Upon receipt of a complete application, you will hear back for funding under £500 within 21 days and for funding over this amount please allow 28 days.

The hyperlink to the application form can be found here.

For all enquiries about the grant, please email:

[email protected]

Crowdfund Cotswold 

Crowdfund Cotswold is a funding tool that enables community and charitable organisations to seek pledges of money for their projects, using crowdfunding as a method.

In addition, if the organisation achieves its crowdfunding target (and its project meets the council's criteria), Cotswold District Council will increase the funding by up to 40%, to a maximum of £10,000. 

Spacehive is the digital platform for the programme and there is more guidance and information about how this works below:

• Crowdfund Cotswold website: https://www.spacehive.com/crowdfundcotswold 
• Slides from an information session about the Crowdfund Cotswold programme in February 2024
• Email support: [email protected] 

Cotswold Connected community and food programme

The funding for this programme has now been awarded to successful applicants and therefore we are unable to accept any new applications. 

The aim is to improve the resilience of the community as a whole, promoting equality and diversity instead of highlighting inequalities, people caring for each other no matter their background and sharing of resources.

Find out more: https://www.cotswold.gov.uk/communities-and-leisure/community-grants-and-funding/cotswold-connected-community-and-food-programme/

Events

One of the Cotswold Food Network’s (CFN) key objectives is to support groups and organisations by facilitating events for and with them.

Cotswold Food Network is facilitating a series of events on food provision and financial inclusion. If you would like to find out more about any of these events, please use the contact details below.

Contact and more information

For any food sustainability related enquiries, please contact: 

• Martin Hawkins, Community Support Officer – Food Sustainability
• Email: [email protected]